GERD Filling, Power Generation Inflicts No Harm to Down-Stream Countries: Scholar

Addis Ababa August 16/2022/ENA/ Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD) successful completion of third phase filling and second turbine power generation has once again proved that it has no significant harm to downstream countries, an expert said.

Manitoba Government Hydrologic Forecasting and Water Management Executive Director, Fisaha Solomon said that Sudan and Egypt should accept Ethiopia’s right to utilize the Nile water in good faith.

The reality on the ground speaks loud and clear that GERD has no significant harm on the down-stream countries, he said, and emphasized that every development of the dam to this day has caused no harm.

According to Fisaha, as Ethiopia’s dam is meant for electric generation, it does not affect the magnitude of water to the downstream countries. Instead, he added that the dam provides a number of benefits for Sudan and Egypt.     

The fact that GERD will have positive outcomes to the downstream countries has also been proved through various researches conducted by Egyptian and  Sudanese professionals too, he said.  

“The construction of a hydropower development dam which does not consume water will not have any significant impact on Sudan and Egypt in negative way. It has a lot of positive impact for Sudan and Egypt. Their engineers have published thousands of papers with findings that GERD will reduce significant down-stream flooding and saves water during drought by reducing evaporation,” Fisaha elaborated.

However, he pointed out that many of the arguments carry political interest and lack scientific and technical proof.

According to him, it is time for Sudan and Egypt to change their perspective of politicizing the issue and sit for negotiation on any outstanding issues of the dam.

Egypt has made futile attempts multiple times to portray GERD as a security issue in the UNSC, he stated, and added there is no way that a developmental infrastructure can become a security threat.

The operation and filling of GERD have been carried out in a manner that doesn’t negatively impact on the downstream countries.

“This is Ethiopia’s right but at the same time Ethiopia fully understands that the operation and filling of the dam will not and should not have down-stream impact and that is what we have been saying and it is how we will continue. But at the same time when it is our right to defend and construct we will not back up,” he stressed.

Furthermore, he called on the down-stream country politicians to listen to their experts instead of sensitizing the matter.

Fisaha, who is also Chairperson of Alliance for GERD in Canada, stated that Ethiopians have stood behind the dam right from the outset and will remain united towards its completion.